It wasn't that Merlin or Gwen ever went hungry, neither Arthur nor Morgana would allow it. But a barely touched plum pudding which came back to the kitchens from the feast upstairs was not to be sniffed at.
Gwen dished it for them and Merlin was just about to tuck in when a hand reached over his shoulder and snatched some right off his plate. "Hey!" Merlin objected as Arthur sat next to him, shoving him up the bench and stuffing his mouth with Merlin's dessert.
Arthur said something that might have been 'can't talk, mouth full.' Merlin couldn't really tell through the spray of pudding. There was a feminine snort and Morgana strode into view and headed over to a cabinet. "This, Arthur," she said holding up a silver implement, "is called a fork. It's something that civilised people use."
That said Morgana joined them at the table. She sat beside Gwen and helped herself to some pudding from her plate. She, at least, seemed to have mastered the art of using cutlery.
"Shouldn't you be at the banquet?" Gwen asked, shoving her plate over a little to allow Morgana to share.
"Don't they feed you at these things anymore?" Merlin hunched over his plate to stop anymore of it falling into the clutches of the thieving prince.
"I thought I'd grace you with my presence. Dining with servants, what were we thinking, Morgana?"
Merlin leaned over and whispered conspiratorially to Gwen, "Working for nobility, what were we thinking?"
Arthur scooped up another handful of pudding from Merlin's plate; instead of eating it he rubbed it through Merlin's hair.
But Merlin had been assaulted with fruit on more than one occasion and this was the first time he'd had means to retaliate in kind. He picked up a handful of pudding and deposited it down the front of Arthur's tunic.
"Merlin!" Arthur roared, picking up a handful and hurling at Merlin with an arm more used to throwing spears at unsuspecting deer. What didn't hit Merlin splattered off him and hit Gwen.
"Guinevere, I do apologise.-"
Arthur's apology was cut off by Morgana dumping a plate of pudding over his head and sitting back down with a satisfied smirk.
"Merlin, I order you to throw food at Morgana!"
Merlin gave Morgana a sorry-he's-the-boss look before hurling what was left on his plate at her. Morgana yelped and dived behind Gwen, avoiding most of it. Gwen wasn't so lucky. She was looking around for something to throw back when there was the sound of a throat being softly cleared. They looked around to see the cook standing there with an expression that implied that if it was anyone other than the crown prince and the king's ward having a food fight in her kitchen she'd be doing a damn sight more than clearing her throat.
Arthur stood and took up his best I Am The Future King stance, this worked better when he wasn't covered in plum pudding. "We finished the pudding."
Merlin, who would quite like to be allowed back into the kitchens at some future point added, "We'll clean it up."
"Oh, just get out." The four of them hurried to obey. Arthur and Morgana, in the manner of nobles everywhere, hurried without appearing to hurry. "And I should clear yourselves up before you show yourselves to the court."
Morgana's chambers were closest and it was there that they headed. Thankfully they got there without having to explain to anybody why two members of the court and their servants were covered in fruit. As soon as the door was closed Morgana took Gwen's hand and led her behind the screen, she pushed a gown, a rich blue one, at Gwen. "Change into this."
"Oh, I couldn't," Gwen objected.
"Don't be silly, you can hardly wear that," Morgana referred to Gwen's ruined dress. "And I owe it to you for using you as human shield against oncoming fruit."
"Anytime, my Lady," Gwen said with a laugh.
"Change, I'll be in the other room."
The dress was one that laced up at the back and Gwen was too embarrassed to call Morgana to help. Instead she settled for lacing it up as far as she could and clutching it closed behind her neck. When she emerged Morgana had changed into a nightdress and was lying on the bed along with Arthur who was bare chested having removed his ruined shirt. Merlin was bent over a bowl of water picking bits of plum out of his hair. He too had removed his shirt to prevent it getting soaked.
Morgana and Arthur appeared to be mid argument. "I'm the Crown Prince; you cannot make me sleep on the floor."
"I don't see why not," Morgana countered. "You sleep on the ground during those never ending hunting trips of yours."
"That's different. Then there is no bed available."
"When my bed is the only one available, Arthur, you should consider there to be none."
"Why aren't we going back to our own rooms again?" asked Merlin, who still hadn't got all the plum out of his hair.
"Because I have no desire to listen to the rumours that will result from the sight of you and Arthur being seen slinking shirtless from my chambers."
"Along with a half dressed maid, it would seem," Arthur said catching sight of Gwen, but his words were not unkind. "Come here. Sit down." With more tenderness than Gwen would have expected of a Champion of Camelot Arthur began lacing up her dress.
"You're doing it wrong," said Morgana. "He's more used to removing dresses that putting them on." Arthur's expected retort never came, instead Morgana's fingers joined Arthur's in pulling together the lace of Gwen's dress.
"I can sleep on the floor," said Merlin, looking away from the threesome on the bed and trying to change the subject back to the original argument.
"Quite right," said Arthur.
"I'll sleep on the floor too," said Gwen.
"You most certainly will not," said Morgana.
"Merlin, get over here. Since Morgana is offering us the use of this nice big bed we'll all sleep in it."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
A prince, a seer, a warlock and a maid together in a bed. What could possibly go wrong?